"The more things change the more they stay the same." The young woman said running a hand through her deep blue hair before setting her fedora back on her head and adjusting her blue power suit. "Let's see just how similar things are." She said opening the door to an all too familiar room full of all too familiar faces.
"Um can I help you?" Rei asked hesitantly.
"Not really Mars. Just here for the sailor meeting." Mizuno Ami said nonchalantly, taking her normal place at the table and producing a small book from her jacket. "Still fighting with Moon over your manga, I see."
"Who the hell are you?" Haruka snapped.
"Well, I'm sitting in a place that hasn't been occupied in six months reading a book, Uranus. I know who all of you really are. And I know Usagi has a terrible weakness for banana splits and brunette shrine maidens. Who do you think I am?"
Minako gaped a moment. "No way... you... you can't be..."
"Ami?" Hotaru gasped before the older woman got tackled to the ground by a flying hug. "You got older." She giggled.
"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" Ami said stroking the girl's cheek as the difference in their ages was hammered home. "Ah well, such is life." She said giving the younger girl a tight hug as Michiru and Haruka sprang to their feet.
"Get away from her, Hotaru!" Haruka said.
"She's obviously a spy sent by the enemy." Michiru responded.
"We don't even have an enemy." Usagi responded, laying aside her borrowed manga to observe the confrontation. "And if they were going to send a spy, why send someone older to impersonate Ami?"
"It's all right, Usagi." Ami said quietly, stroking Hotaru's hair. "It's no real surprise they'd react this way. I've been away for quite a while longer than the six months you think." Ami hastily tossed the smaller brunette to Usagi as she dodged a punch from Haruka. "Have you lost your fucking mind?" She screamed flipping back into a handspring before launching a spinning kick that hammered Haruka back into her lover. "Why in the hell are you attacking with an innocent in the way?" She growled flipping back to land lightly on her feet.
"What do you care, spy?" Michiru said as she and Haruka attempted to flank Ami.
"To hell with this." Ami snarled, kicking her hat off the ground and snagging it out of the air. "If you want to take me on that badly, we'll take this somewhere else." With those words, she jammed her hat on her head and jumped out the door. The two outers stared in shock before racing to follow her.
"Usagi?" Makoto looked at her leader for guidance.
"You have to make this decision on your own, my senshi." Usagi said softly. There was a stunned silence, followed by quiet murmurings, which Usagi quelled with a raised hand. "I may be your leader, but there are times when a warrior must decide if following their leader is the right thing to do. This is one of those times." With that she stood and left the room in time to see Sailors Uranus and Neptune bounding over they skyline chasing the woman who claimed to be Mercury.
***
"Well this has been a nice little warm up," Ami said to herself as she flipped off a building to land in an abandoned park. "But I think it's high time we started the main event."
"I don't know who or what you are," Uranus gasped trying to get her breath back. "but we'll stop you and whatever evil scheme you have planned."
"Tell me something." Ami said nonchalantly as the other sailors finally joined the group. "Are you the senshi of Uranus because you have a giant stick up your ass?"
Uranus snarled and charged Ami, who sidestepped and caught the blondes hand in a firm grip. "Just more proof, you bad copy. The real Ami would never be strong enough to stop my attack, even if she was transformed."
"Grrr.... Why the hell can't you get it through your head that I grew up!" Ami growled as she gave a swift spin to throw Uranus back to the other Sailors. "I really don't have all day for this, so anyone who wants to take me on, lets do this, all at once or not at all." This being said, Ami twisted her head sharply with a resounding crack, before twisting the opposite direction with a happy sigh.
The Inner Senshi looked to their leader, who merely shook her head and said. "I have said all I will on the matter. You must decide."
"I've got no reason to believe that this isn't Ami." Mars said. "I've sensed no evil intentions from her since this began."
"I've got no reason to attack her." Jupiter said. "All the fighting she's done has been reactive and she's still kicking Uranus around like a soccer ball. Maybe we can spar later, but she ain't pissed at me and I'd rather keep it that way."
"Moon." Venus said quietly. "You can feel it, can't you?"
"Ami was the first. I know her better than any of you. And I can feel it, in my heart, just like you can, Venus."
"I will not attack." Pluto said. "I'm learning all I need to as it stands."
"Mysterious to the end, eh Pluto?" Saturn said with a slight smile. "She hasn't done anything to mark her as the enemy and she did save me from someone's poorly aimed attack."
"Thank you Saturn. I'd almost forgotten about that." Ami said as her demeanor turned serious. "For attacking an innocent, I can never forgive you." With that declaration, the blue haired woman raised her hands in front of her as a blue and white crystal flickered into existence between them. "MERCURY STAR ARMOR.... TRANSFORM!" She shouted.
At first nothing happened, but then the sapphire gem in her hands began to spin as an azure globe surrounded the ice senshi and the surrounding temperature dropped drastically. Pluto stepped forward in surprise, obviously not expecting this newest development. Uranus and Neptune had a much simpler response.
"WORLD SHAKING!"
"DEEP SUBMERGE!"
The twin attacks flew true and bounced harmlessly off the blue shield as streaks of blue and white energy whipped off the crystal to surround the middle aged woman. In moments the transformation was finished and Sailor Mercury was clad in a form fitting, all encompassing, metallic blue armor. "This evens things up quite nicely." She said as the light gleamed off her crystal visor.
"You call that even?" Uranus screeched.
"You have your transformation and I have mine." Mercury said blithely, settling into a battle stance.
"You're calling full battle armor a transformation?" Neptune growled. "That's hardly elegant."
"No, and I suppose it is a bit of overkill, but I want to make perfectly clear that I will not stand for you carelessly attacking around innocents." With that, Mercury shot forward and clashed with Uranus who barely managed to raise an arm in defense. She blocked for a brief moment before recoiling cradling her forearm.
"Goddamn it!" She said as frost crystals began to form along her arm.
"A little cold is it?" Mercury asked. "It makes a great anti personal tactic."
"Then I've got no problem with this!" Uranus produced her Space Sword and began hacking and slashing at the former teenager who ducked and dodged before flipping back.
"Sloppy. No grace, no style, no skill." Mercury glared as a thin deadly rapier appeared in her hand. "Shall we try again? I am properly armed now."
Uranus growled and renewed her assault only to have each attack redirected as Mercury repeatedly broke her guard and slashed her with several quick vicious slashes to her arms and midsection. The routines became disturbingly repetitive until Mercury flashed out and disarmed the younger warrior.
"I grow weary of this. MERCURY FLASH FREEZE!" She called out her attack even as the blade swept up leaving a trail of icy blue energy and a Sailor Senshi encased in a block of ice. "I wouldn't. My flash freeze attack is quite contagious." She cautioned Neptune as she reached for her frozen lover.
"Still think she isn't evil?" Neptune snarled as Mercury's face changed.
"All right Mercury. You've made your point." Mercury said in a soft voice.
"Umm why is she talking to herself?" Jupiter asked.
Mercury's face shifted as she snarled in a more normal voice. "Stay out of this, Ice."
Mars frowned. "And who is Ice?"
The softer face and visage, that of Ice, came to the fore again. "If you kill her she won't learn anything."
Mercury's combat hardened face returned. "And if I do she won't be attacking with innocents around."
"That's true." Ice said. "But who are you be her judge? Let her go. Give her a chance to smarten up."
"Why is it that you can always get though to me?" Mercury said, giving the prison a viscous slash, shattering it to dust.
Because I'm what you used to be. Ice replied silently.
"The next time you attack without considering the consequences I won't be so lenient." Mercury said as Uranus and Neptune knelt among the melting snow. "And you, Pluto. You knew."
Pluto rolled her eyes in a manner that just screamed 'Well, Duh!' "I knew you were back and I knew you were changed. What I didn't know was if we could take you down, if you went rouge."
Mercury just stared as she started to shake, then she exploded with laughter. "You're worried... oh that's rich..."
"I fail to see the humor." Neptune snarled.
"The humor is, my going rouge is the least of your worries. There's a new sailor, and she's got the power and skill to take out all of us, me included, without breaking a sweat."
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(Posted Mon, 27 Dec 2004 01:30)
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